Ford types Bryan Cranston for boastful US campaign | CMO Strategy

Ford tries to get his Mojo back and asks Bryan Cranston to help with the task. The automaker, which faces a falling stock price and tight control over its strategic direction this year, has tapped the actor in a large-scale campaign called "Built Ford Proud."

The US campaign that will be televised This weekend is the debut for Ford by Wieden & Kennedy New York. The independent shop recently joined the automaker's catalog with Omnicom's BBDO as part of a comprehensive agency overhaul that led to the downgrading of Global Team Blue by the well-established WPP agency.

Advertising is injected with more attitude and Bragdadocio than the last Ford marketing. By interweaving historical footage with futuristic scenes, Ford attempts to maintain its 1

15-year history as a force in a time when startups like Tesla have captured the nation's attention.

A 60-second commercial shows Cranston performing through various scene roles, including a lecturer in a Ted Talks-like forum, a President and an Android. Futuristic transport scenes are interwoven with old photographs of a Ford factory. "Speech does not make things happen, building does," explains Cranston, before concluding, "Let the other guys keep dreaming of the future, we'll be the ones who build them." The soundtrack, an orchestral cover of the Rolling Stones "Paint It Black", recalls Model T lore and a quote attributed to Henry Ford: "You can have any color as long as it's black."

Cranston has previously done voice-overs for Ford ads, but this is the first time he has appeared in front of the camera for the automaker.

In interviews with Ford executives, the campaign rejected a direct stance on electric vehicle marketer Tesla, whose daring CEO Elon Musk knows how to attract attention, both good and evil. But the implications of the new campaign are clear: when it comes to talking about the future of transportation, Ford is tired of taking the backseat of the new people in the block.

"Our strategy is to regain our pride and leadership" We are proud of what makes us Ford, "said Matt VanDyke, Ford's US marketing director, in a telephone interview from Las Vegas, where the automaker said this week Campaign in front of more than 3,000 merchants showed, "We have not always spoken with this tone." He added, "We believe that you can trust a company that has built … over the next 115 years, and that is Message We Wanted to Produce. "

A TV ad based on Ford's logo, He plays the family heritage of the company and contrasts it with companies that are" the result of a merger ", which is considered a chance on the Ford Fiat-Chrysler could be considered.

Another ad is funnier and shows a bunch of Ford trucks rumbling over the highway, dragging everything from construction machinery to a giant big-boy statue. " For a party in the background, we have the business in front, "boasts a voiceover.

The campaign is supported by a major media investment, which includes purchases in National Football League games and primetime and late-night TV shows. The company is targeting 2.5 billion media impressions, executives said. Full-page ads will feature in the Wall Street Journal, New York Times, and Washington Post this weekend. One of the print ads portrays Ford's historic accomplishments, such as revolutionizing the assembly line.

New Agency Model, Big Organizational Changes

The campaign comes as Ford undergoes major organizational changes, including leaving the limousine business in North America to focus on more popular SUVs, crossovers and trucks, while spending more money on electric vehicles and hybrids is invested. Ford is also aiming for $ 150 million in "annual efficiency gains," part of a "more agile marketing model." But investors were less than impressed. The company's share price fell below $ 9 earlier this month, its lowest since 2009. The stock fell to $ 8.51 on Thursday, when the Dow lost more than 300 points.

Ford announced its new range of agency model earlier this month, surprising many industry observers with the selection of BBDO as a leading global brand agency. Wieden & Kennedy was named as creative and innovation partner for specific projects, while GTB was responsible for tasks such as shopper marketing and merchant advertising. W & K has been working on the "Built Ford Proud" campaign since the beginning of this year.

Many questions remain as to how W & K and BBDO will work together, but it is now clear that Wieden's campaign will determine the creative direction in the US for the foreseeable future. "BBDO can bring its creative power and build this campaign for us in the US," said Joy Falotico, Ford's vice president and global chief marketing officer.

The Omnicom Shop also has the opportunity to influence the world, although WPP has retained its status as a leading creative shop in China.